Yenagoa—The Coalition of Bayelsa Professionals for Democracy and Good Governance has described as baseless the accusations against the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo by a group known as the Bayelsa Progressive Vanguard.
They stated that the accusation is an attempt to create a rift between Governor Douye Diri and his deputy.
Mangrovepen.ng gathered that the Bayelsa Progressive Vanguard had accused Ewrujakpor of running a parallel administration within the government despite the latitude he enjoyed from Diri.
In a statement by its leader Erepadei Ebiowei, the group insisted that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the state and national level should probe Ewhrujakpor, adding that if not checked, he would constitute the greatest threat to the fortunes of the party in the coming elections.
Responding to the claims, the Coalition of Bayelsa Professionals for Democracy and Good Governance in a statement by its Coordinator Mr. Josiah Graham-Dede accused fading politicians of being behind the attacks on the Deputy Governor.
The group opined that most politicians had previously encircled the governor of the state immediately after he was sworn into office on February 14th of 2020.
According to the statement, “they had gained some level of relevance in the system utilizing self magnifying lies that alloted to themselves political significance they never had and influence they never controlled in their various Local Governments, Wards, and Constituencies.
“However following the just concluded People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries earlier this year, their emptiness was exposed and they are now known for who they are “Paper tiger” mostly Yenagoa-based politicians who maintained access to power on the basis of lies told to former governors.
“Now known in their true nature as most men who had even forgotten the roads to their home towns, the significance about them is fast eroding, hence, the desperate face-saving attempt by these liliputs.”
The statement also fingered politicians vying for different political positions who are in court for trying to blackmail the government in their cases.
“We are also aware that a lot of persons aspiring for different elective positions are engaged in pre-election legal battles bothering on falsification and forgery, therefore have failed to convince the courts on their various cases.
“Some of them might want to blackmail the government into intervening in their matters, and what better way to go about that is by dragging in the person of the Deputy Governor who is generally known to be a lawyer and a friend of the courts,” they said.
They asserted that some politicians only thrive in an atmosphere of crisis by peddling stories and rumours.
According to the group, given that campaigns are just about to kick off, it is natural to see such political blackmails flying around the place.
“It is only unfortunate that at this time they choose the wrong target for blackmail, as even the governor knows the unflinching loyalty of his deputy, hence would not condescend to their cheap blackmail.
“knowing that this is only a desperate attempt by irrelevant politicians to weaken the bond between himself, the former governor and the deputy governor when they are busy on a steady brainstorm on how best to deliver the dividends of democracy to Bayelsans and redeem on the prosperity mandate,” the statement reads.
